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Population Growth Is Our Problem, Too

The world's population growth has indeed slowed (editorial, Oct. 13), but the projected population of nearly 9 billion by 2050 is nothing to cheer about. The earth is experiencing the largest species extinction since that of the dinosaurs, mostly the result of human population pressures. According to the National Wildlife Federation, we will soon be losing 50,000 species a year. Global warming, directly linked to population growth, may eliminate even more species, including polar bears and penguins. Hardly the world we should bequeath to our children!

And while the media portray overpopulation as a problem of the developing world, it is in fact the United States that is today the world's third most populous country and the sixth fastest growing, the result of the rising number of births and the highest rate of immigration in our history. It behooves us to lead by example and slow our out-of-control growth.